“It’s like winning an Oscar at the PR Oscars,” says WellAbove PR’s Salvatore Di Muccio, who was the B2C winner of the David Hellaby Best Media Relations category at this year’s Lizzies.  “I don't really have the words to tell you how much it means to me. Mainly because this is an award, nominated and voted for by the journalists themselves,” he told Influencing.  Di Muccio was one of three winners in this category. BassPR’s David Bass (B2B) and Claire Corbel of Nintendo (gaming and overall winner) also won the award.  It’s Di Muccio’s third win in the category as well. He’d previously won in 2019 and 2024. He was also highly commended in 2021, 2022 and 2025. He said his approach is all about service and quality.  “Every day I try to be better than the day before. I try to give my clients and journalists the best possible service. “Underpinning all of that is loving what I do. I love to try to make things better and create good stories”.  Di Muc

SBS’s Veronica Lenard has won the Alicia Camphuisen Best New Journalist category at this year’s Samsung Australian IT journalist awards.  Lenard (Right) with Watterson's Oisin O'Callaghan.  Lenard’s award-winning reporting included “The 24-year-old rule that lets politicians use your data however they want”, “The way you use social media will change soon — but it's still not clear how,” and “A parent’s guide to help teens adjust to social media age restrictions.”  After her first win at the Lizzies, Lenard said, “Thank you so much to everyone at SBS, who’s been so welcoming and lovely to me as I’ve started. “Thank you to all the people who made me want to be a tech journalist, many of whom are in the room right now. Thank you to all the people who have helped me start to get there. Thank you!” Lenard’s Winning Entries: The way you use social media wil

Embattled media proprieter Antony Catalano has put his lawyers onto The Herald Sun claiming his privacy was breached while attending a rehab facility alongside a News Corp reporter, The Age has reported. The Age's Cameron Houston has revealed that Catalano alleges that a News Corp journalist was secretly compiling information on his stay while also an inpatient at the same rehabilitation facility. Houston wrote: "Catalano alleges the journalist, who this masthead has chosen not to name because of their ongoing health issues, also tipped off a photographer when the pair briefly left the hospital on April 13 on an approved trip to buy cigarettes at a nearby 7-Eleven". News Corp has strenuously denied the allegation. “The reporter was in the facility to seek treatment for ongoing health issues and was not working while on medical leave. Any allegations of a breach of privacy are completely false and our reporter’s wellbeing is our priority,” the

GST expansion hits aged-care residents The Albanese government has extended GST to some aged-care living fees, a change critics say will push up costs for older Australians already under financial pressure. The move is politically sensitive because it looks like a quiet broadening of the tax base, and it lands amid wider debates about fairness between generations and the sustainability of health and care spending. Covered by: The Australian. NDIS “tough love” reforms sharpen focus on autism eligibility Proposed changes would introduce IQ, cognition and social-communication testing for some people with autism and developmental delays to keep NDIS access, signalling a tougher approach to eligibility. It underscores the government’s attempt to rein in ballooning costs, but raises high-stakes questions about equity, assessment accuracy and how disability support is defined. Covered by: The Australian, Australian Financial Review, Australian Financial Review. Bondi a

The Northern Daily Leader will cease its daily print edition, dropping back to an "expanded" weekend print edition on Saturdays and re-focusing its daily coverage online. However, the closure by owner ACM has already resulted in former deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who is the local MP, calling for a reversal of the decision. “You can’t have a democracy without a Fourth Estate,” Joyce told Mumbrella's Tim Burrowes. The changes are expected to result in redundancies and "consultations with affected staff has begun". The Northern Daily Leader covers Tamworth, New England and the North-West. The shuttering of the daily edition will also see the Tamworth press site cease operating on May 8, with the final edition of the newspaper printed that day. Digital-online news coverage on weekdays will begin at northerndailyleader.com.au from Monday, May 11. ACM managing director Tony Kendall said that "our strategic goal is to evolve our

Snap Comms redundamcy Snap's Director of Communications, APAC Natasha Brack has departed as part of a round of global redundancies. "I leave Snap with nothing but gratitude - for the opportunity to lead a team of legends, for the work which was challenging and important, for the product which connects and brings people joy and for the experiences and friends I made along the way," she wrote on LinkedIn. Brack, who was formerly Edelman's Head of Technology  helped launch Snapchat into India,  Japan and Vietnam. "Working at Snap has been a gift, and I will cherish it. But, I'm also ready for my next challenge. So, for my Australian and APAC networks, get in touch with any great opportunities, full time, or contract/consulting while I find the next great thing," she said. Sling & Stone Kiwi head goes in-house Sian Church and Shuttlerock CEO Jonny Hendriksen Sling & Stone's former Head of New Zealand Sian Church will